Policy Text
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MJ/RCCC
OPERATIONS ORDER
Court Holding Area and Courtroom Security
The purpose of this Order is to outline the procedures for oper ating court control, court
holding areas, and courtrooms at the Main Jail .
I. Policy
Court Security staff at the Main Jail will operate the Court Holding area and Bailiff
Stations in a manner that provide s for the safety of staff and prisoners and the security
of the Main Jail while promptly delivering prisoners to the Main Jail courtrooms.
Deputies assigned to Court Security duties within the Main Jail s h a l l h a v e a b a s i c
understanding of court control, cou rt holding areas, the bailif f’s stations, and courtroom
security equipment in order to p rovide assistance in emergency situations.
II. General Information
A. The courtrooms and court hol ding areas located on the ground floor of the
Main Jail, fall under the control and supervision of the COURT
SECURITY DIVISION . However, Main Jail custody staff shall have
authority regarding issues that a ffect the security of the faci lity.
1. The COURT SECURITY DIVISION is responsible for the
scheduling and staffing of staff assigned to court security dut ies at
the Main Jail .
B. The Main Jail has four (4) Superior Courtrooms and at least one bailiff is
assigned to each courtroom.
1. Persons wishing access to a courtroom must submit to a secur ity
check at the public counter.
C. The court control/holding ar ea is generally staffed with fiv e (5) sworn
deputies and two (2) non- sworn court staff.
D. The court holding area is prim arily used as a holding area f or prisoners
scheduled to appear in a Main Jail courtroom. However, it may be used
as a staging area for prisoners who are going to the Sacramento County
Courthouse if absolutely necessary.
E. The court holding area where prisoners are held while awaiti n g a c o u r t
appearance is located in the Main Jail basement below the courtrooms.
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MJ/RCCC 1. Court control staff operates the nine (9) prisoner holding c ells and
the attorney visit areas adjacent to each holding cell.
F. Two (2) secured stairwells are used to move prisoners betwee n the court
holding area and the courtrooms. T he stairwells are controlled
electronically by court contro l staff or manually by key.
1. Deputies assigned to escort duties shall not have stairwell or
courtroom keys in his/her posse ssion while prisoners are presen t.
III. Main Jail Court Holding S taff and Bailiff Responsibilities
A. Court holding staff and Bailiffs are responsible for inspect ing their
workstations at the beginning and ending of each shift. The pu rpose of
the inspection is to locate any damage, contraband or suspiciou s items.
1. Court holding staff shall insp ect all control room equipment , holding
cells, visit booths, corridors, and stairwells.
2. Bailiffs shall inspect all courtrooms, public hallways, cour troom
prisoner holding areas, staff areas, and control panels at the bailiff
station, judge’s bench, and clerk’s desk.
B. Court Holding sworn staff is responsible for assisting non-s worn staff,
updating the control room log bo ok, and coordinating and superv ising the
movement of prisoners to and from the court holding area. This includes
coordinating with Main Jail, RCCC, and Court Security staff for the
exchange of prisoners.
C. Non-sworn staff is responsible for registering confidential visits, updating
the control room log book, ensu ring the appropriate color t-shi rts are
available for special classification prisoners, assisting with coordinating
the movement of prisoners, and operating equipment in court con trol.
D. Bailiffs are primarily responsible for providing courtroom s ecurity, assisting
the judge and courtroom visitors as necessary or requested, and
overseeing the operati ons of the courtroom.
IV. Operating Procedures
A. Court holding staff shall take the following steps in prepar ation for morning
and afternoon court:
1. Obtain a “Master Pull List” and note any separation or speci al
handling requirements.
2. Obtain an “Inmate Court Appea rance” report and coordinate wi th
bailiffs’ to ensure prisoners ar e in the proper order for court
appearances.
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MJ/RCCC 3. Coordinate the movem ent of prisoners from the Main Jail housing
unit staff and RCCC transportation staff.
4. Each prisoner shall be confirm ed as he/she arrives for court . Any
“no-shows” shall be noted and housing unit staff shall provide a
reason for the “no-show.”
5. Ensure special classificati on prisoners are wearing the appr opriate
color T-shirt and separate prisoners into the appropriate holdi ng
cells. Consider prisoner classi fication status and gender prio r to
requesting a prisoner or before placement in a holding cell.
6. Supervise and coordinate pris oners entering and leaving cour ts via
the stairwells.
7. Escort handicapped prisoners, p risoners wearing restraints, and
prisoners wearing spec